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Monday, December 22, 2014

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

IT'S CHRISTMAS! Well, not today, but THURSDAY! So in celebration of that... let's have a Very Merry Christmas Giveaway today as well as a post!

Do you remember how I had a few Christmas books to read? Well, I only finished one *Sigh* but I'll just keep the Christmas Magic going into the New Year. MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME was pretty good overall. My favorite stories were those by Rainbow Rowell and Jenny Han, for sure!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

In case you haven't heard, there's a new book on the block: THE NIGHT HOUSE by Rachel Tafoya. What's it about? Vampires. Also a blood prostitute. And a boy who takes the term "empath" to whole new level.

About the Book

Title: THE NIGHT HOUSE

Publication date: December 9, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Rachel Tafoya

Bianca St. Germain works at a Night House, a place where vampires like the aristocratic Jeremiah Archer, pay to feed on humans, and she doesn’t much care what others think of her. The money is good, and at least there, she’s safe. Bianca also doesn’t care that the Night House is killing her. All she cares about is: nauth, the highly addictive poison in vampire bites that brings a euphoria like no drug ever could.

But when Bianca meets James, a reclusive empath who feels everything she does, for the first time, she considers a life outside of the Night House and a someone worth living for. But Jeremiah has decided to keep Bianca for himself; he won’t allow her to walk away.

As she allows her feelings for James to grow, she struggles to contain nauth’s strong hold on her life. If they are to have a future, James must make her see what she’s worth, what she means to him, before Jeremiah and nauth claim her for good.

Rachel Tafoya studied creative writing while at Solebury School and was published in their student run literary magazine, SLAM. She attended a writing program for teens at both Susquehanna University and Denison University, and the Experimental Writing for Teens class and Novels for Young Writers program, both run by NY Times bestselling author, Jonathan Maberry. Rachel is the daughter crime author Dennis Tafoya.

Review
I've been waiting to read NIGHT HOUSE for a very long time. As soon as I heard about it, my interest was piqued, and when the opportunity to participate in the blog tour came about, I jumped at it. I received my eARC, devoured it in a few hours, and guys. We have an amazing new voice in the YA world.

Bianca St. Germain doesn't live a normal teenage life; she's one of the many girls that live at the Night House-- a feeding house for vampires. She'd get out if she could, but the truth is that she's addicted to the drug known as nauth, and the only way to get it is to let a vamp sink their fangs into her. A drug from a vampire's fangs may sound terrifying to some people, but it's what Bianca lives for.

James Fields has problems of his own-- he's an empath, but it's more than that-- he can feel people's emotions, their pain, their troubles. With only his adopted sister and his best friend aware of how much of a struggle it is for him to be around other people, he generally stays home and avoids large crowds at all costs. Except for one night. The night he met Bianca.

Now everything has changed. James' empathic abilities are tied to Bianca, and he feels everything she feels, just as she feels it, which means that he feels her pain and high from each bite. And things are starting to get rough around the Night House-- a powerful vamp called Jeremiah wants to own Bianca for himself, and it seems like he'll stop at nothing to have her.

Can all of this be enough for Bianca to finally get clean?

THE NIGHT HOUSE was everything I expected and more. An incredible debut from Tafoya-- a mixture of romance and vampires unlike any we've loved before-- I give it a 4.5/5 stars. If you have the chance, go out and snatch up a copy. You will not regret it.

Giveaway Time!

Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of The Night House by Rachel Tafoya (INT)

Friday, December 12, 2014

So I was listening to 1989 the other day, because this blogger right here is a huge Taylor Swift fan, when I came across one of my favorite lines of the song "Darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream". And I thought, Wow that describes so many books. So I decided to take Blank Space and... well... Book-ify it. Maybe this will be a one-time thing, maybe it will become a regular feature on the blog, I dunno. You guys tell me what you think.

I suggest you listen to the song as you read the lyrics. You know, get the full effect.

Friday, December 5, 2014

Welcome to the Book Blitz for the stunning Southern Gothic Romance, COMPULSION (HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND) By the lovely Martina Boone. We have some good stuff from the author for the Blitz that you DON'T want to miss, including one of Martina's fabulous giveaways!

COMPULSION
(HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND,BOOK 1)

Simon
& Schuster,Simon
Pulse

Hardcover, 10/28/14ISBN: 1481411225

Summary
from Goodreads:

Three
plantations. Two gifts. One
ancient curse.

All
her life, Barrie Watson has been a virtual prisoner in the house where she
lives with her shut-in mother. When her mother dies, Barrie promises to put
some mileage on her stiletto heels. But she finds a new kind of prison at her
aunt’s
South Carolina plantation instead–a prison guarded by an ancient spirit who
long ago cursed one of the three founding families of Watson Island and gave
the others magical gifts that became compulsions.

Stuck
with the ghosts of a generations-old feud and hunted by forces she cannot see,
Barrie must find a way to break free of the family legacy. With the help of
sun-kissed Eight Beaufort, who somehow seems to know what Barrie wants before
she knows herself, the last Watson heir starts to unravel her family’s twisted secrets. What she finds is dangerous: a
love she never expected, a river that turns to fire at midnight, a gorgeous
cousin who isn’t
what she seems, and very real enemies who want both Eight and Barrie dead.

Compulsion is available anywhere
books are sold. Signed copies are available from One More Page
Books. You
can also order with the special “I have a Compulsion for reading” bookplate
from Eight Cousins.

From her home in Virginia, where
she lives with her husband, children, and Auggie the wonder dog, she enjoys
writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she’d love to
visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing,
chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

We all love a good romance, and the one in COMPULSION is definitely swoon-worthy. This is why I thought that most of the other bloggers would choose Barrie and Eight (At least). So instead, I've chosen to use the character cards that I found the most mind-probing. The Spirits.

My plan was to say a few words about each of the cards... but... I think I'll leave them here and let your mind wander. Maybe it'll encourage you to read the book to find out just WHAT (Or who..) these spirits are all about.

The C O M P U L S I O N Dream Cast

Before I get to the human characters, I have to say that setting is very definitely a

character in the HEIRS OF WATSON ISLAND trilogy. Watson Island is loosely based

on Edisto Island, and I borrowed from actual Charleston area plantation history to create

the three plantations that shaped who the three families became. There was tons of

My dream cast of plantations would include Boone Hall Plantation, with bits of Magnolia

Plantation and Drayton Hall thrown in. For the ruins of Colesworth Place, I’d love to use

part of the columns that are all that’s left of the Windsor Plantation in Port Gibson,

Mississippi. There is a Windsor Plantation on Edisto Island, too, but it doesn’t have the

same level of drama and echoing sadness.

Okay, and now on to the fun part. Human characters.

Barrie Barrie first. I’d love to Jennifer Lawrence play Barrie, of course, but basically, I’d like Jennifer Lawrence to play the main character in every movie, so that may not tell you much. I might go with Nicola Peltz.

Eight (Charles Robert Beaufort, VIII)
Liam Hemsworth, I think, although Alex Pettyfer is probably the default here for most readers, and of course I wouldn’t turn him down.

Barrie’s cousin Cassie

Rooney Mara. This one’s a no-brainer for me. She could do Scarlett/Vivien Leigh, and I

think she’d pull off the various sides of Cassie with the complexity that Cassie needs.

Barrie’s godfather Mark

Idris Elba. I can picture him ROCKING a pink Chanel suit and heels and shaking his

booty and singing along with Whoopie Goldberg in Sister Act doing “Hail Holy Queen.” I

wonder if he’d be willing to shave?

Barrie’s Aunt Pru

Hard to believe that Reese Witherspoon is about the right age, but she is. And she

would do a fabulous job.

Eight’s father Seven

(Charles Robert Beaufort, VII)

If they cast Patrick Dempsey as Seven, then McDreamy might finally get the girl he

missed in Sweet Home Alabama. Maybe. Eventually. By the end of the series—if I

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

It's officially the Christmas Season! No more complaining from those of you who said we were celebrating too early, because Thanksgiving has come and gone and TIS THE SEASON (to be Jolly fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)! That being said, it's the perfect time to start in on the Christmas literature!

I have three Holiday Beauties to indulge in this year, and here they are:

I'm currently on Short Story Number Four on MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME, so we'll see how this one goes, and of course a review is to come.

Are YOU reading anything Christmassy this season? Tell me in the comments! I may need some more Holiday books!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.
I've just finished the latest book of my favorite MG fantasy, and am about to start HOW WE FALL by Kate Brauning, and today's post was going to be about the joyfulness of taking a break from YA to indulge in the wonders of MG, when I realized that Thanksgiving is in... um... TWO DAYS?!

So, how about a Thankfulness post?

We have so much to be thankful for every day, and when you really think about everything we have, you see how much that you really do take for granted. The air we breathe, the power of technology, our health. But today I want to take a moment just to be thankful for one of the most important things in all of our lives: Books.

We are bloggers. Readers. Authors. Editors. Publishers. And general fangirls. Books ARE our lives. So much work goes into making these bound treasures, from the author who writes the story up, all the way to the printers, binders, and distributors. Today I want to give a big gigantic thank you to everyone and anyone involved in the process of creating a book, for helping to enrich our lives. Where would we be without you?

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let’s Get Lost Buddies Street Team, to share stories about how we’ve seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we’re reading. We’ll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree’s motto of seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you’re reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn’t have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to help spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

I consider myself to be pretty good at not spending too much money. Unless I'm in a bookstore. We were on an eight hour drive this weekend, and I finished MESENGER, the third book in the Giver Quartet. I was so angry with the ending that I decided to wait a while before reading SON and finishing the series. During a quick stop at Walmart, I picked up a copy of the BANE CHRONICLES because I needed me some Shadowhunter stuffs and, come on, it just came out! Later that weekend, we made our way to Barnes and Noble because I got coupons in the mail (Praise Jesus!) and instead of pre-ordering THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST for nine bucks like I was planning to, I walked out with three books. At least I had a coupon though, right?

I got home yesterday, and when I went to put my new lovelies on my shelf.... I felt some sort of way. I love my books, but I have a six foot tall shelf with five shelves of about two feet each, and the whole thing is filled with unread books. THE WHOLE THING. This has caused me to feel great pleasure at having so many books, and also to feel extremely disappointed in myself for buying more novels when I've got so many I could be reading. But a reader can never have too many books, right? RIGHT!

This being said, I have made the executive decision to stop buying books until my very-full-and-over-running shelf diminishes a bit. No new books for me! BUT I have slipped some fine print into my contract with myself. I can acquire new books only if: They are ARCs I receive, They are given to me (Christmas, etc.), OR It is Black Friday (I hear Target's going to have half-off on all their book, eh? *Eyebrow waggle waggle waggle*).

So! Reviews to come from a good many books, old, newer, and upcoming! But no reviews for anything released until I get this shelf cleared!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Seize the Tuesday is a book blogger meme created by myself and the Let's Get Lost Buddies Street Team to share stories about how we've seized the Tuesday, with a special focus on the particular book we're reading. We'll share our posts online with the hashtag: #LetsAllGetLost.

The idea is to share little ways in which you may have embraced Bree's motto of Seizing the Tuesday. To relate it to books, you can talk about what book you're reading, and how you stole some moments from the day to enjoy reading. It doesn't have to be about reading, but we all know that a well-read day is a day seized. The idea is not just to spread the word on LGL, but also to remind people to live fully, even/especially if that means spending a part of your day reading.

If you (Like me) love to write as much as you like to read, then you know that finding the time for both interests can be a bit of a task. When I have the spare time, I'm never sure whether to grab a book, or my laptop. It's always an internal struggle, and there just never seems to be enough time to do both.

Personally, I can't write if I'm in the middle of a book. My mind stays with the characters I've been reading about, and I'll stare at a blank page for hours and maybe only type a single sentence. So if I want to write, I have to finish my current read, and then stop reading until I've written what I want to write. The thing about writing a novel is that it's a long-ish process, so not reading for months as I write... that just doesn't always work out, so I'll read a book, write, read another book, and go in spurts.

When I get to the point where I don't know whether I should read or write, it comes down to inspiration. If something's lit that fire, and I have something to roll with, then I'll write-- but if it's a dull day and the creative juices aren't flowing, then I'll pick up a book.

At the moment, I've taken a break from writing my second novel to write this post. When I finish here, I'll get back to my WiP until Wednesday, when I can pick up my copy of BEWARE THE WILD by Natalie Parker (She's going to be on a panel of five YA authors at my local indie store this month. Anyone going? Let me know!). So it's really a tennis game for me. I go back and forth. The ball is currently in Writing's court, but I'm sure that'll change when I have Natalie's book in my hands.

So when you want to read, but you also want to write at the same time, figure out if you've got the writing spark that day. If not, don't force it-- just sit back with a cup of hot chocolate and a good read.

Friday, October 31, 2014

This is going to be an awesome event with many tour stops
featuring our authors! The full schedule is below and make sure to stick around
for the EPIC Giveaway taking place!

Here’s a quick note from Georgia McBride, owner of
Month9Books!

“Month9Books is turning 2 this year and I could not be
happier. We are living proof that if you have a dream to write, create and
inspire, you should follow that dream and let nothing keep you from realizing
it. Thank you to all the readers, writers, agents, partners and friends who
have made this possible. We write for you.

--Georgia McBride, Publisher and Owner of
Month9Books”

While all of the posts are from our authors that have books
out already we also want to look forward to some of the 2015 titles we can’t
wait to share with you!

Here’s a slide show of some our 2015 books!

We have a ton of sequels coming as well as new books from
awesome debut authors and we’re so excited to share them all with you! We have
something for everyine from every genre from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Paranormal
and Horror!

Dez is finally hitting her afterlife stride. She
hasn’t missed a meeting or session in forty-two days, and she’s put the
adventures and danger of her first days at Atman behind her. Life after death
is becoming tolerable, yet nothing is quite what she’d hoped. Confusion over
her feelings for Charlie, residual resentment over losing Hannah, and a
continuous stream of unwanted assignments leave Dez restless and argumentative.
In a missed encounter with Crosby, her prying gaze lands upon a single entry in the
datebook on his unoccupied desk. These few, hastily scribbled words reveal an
enormous secret he’s keeping from her. Possessed by a painful sense of
betrayal, she once again sneaks off to Atman City, determined to find answers
to an unresolved piece of her life. It begins as all their adventures do, but
as light falls into darkness, a stop in an unfamiliar neighborhood sets forth a
chaotic series of events. Dez will have to fight for her very existence, and
will face painful, irreparable loss in an afterlife teeming with demons
wielding ancient powers. In M.I.A.: Missing in Atman, the second book in the
Atman City series, Michelle E. Reed continues the story of Dez Donnelly,
pushing her to her limits and surprising readers at every twist and turn of the
vast world that is Atman. Death was only the beginning.

About Michelle:

Michelle was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she
has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature
were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading
by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin
with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

In the midst of my last minute scramble to find a costume
for my six year old—who changed his mind about what he wants to be three timeson the way to school yesterday and
twice on the way home, all in the midst of a Jingle Bells medley he was belting
out—I can't help but think back to my own childhood memories of Halloween and
how much things have changed in the [REDACTED] years since I was his age.

My earliest, clear recollection of Halloween was the year I
was about to turn seven. It was a time when there were only two Star Wars
movies (the second of which had come out that summer. There. Age admitted), and
a time when our little town had only two options for Halloween shopping: Kmart
and Shopko. I went with my mom to pick out my costume, and made a beeline for
the small, seasonal section where I stood in the aisle, gazing in wonder at the
target of my obsession.

But none of the other
girls are going to be him, a little voice of doubt nagged at the back of my
mind.

I ignored it, and snatched the last Yoda from the shelf.

Oh, the excitement! A little plastic mask with a tiny slit
for your mouth, pinhole nostrils, and pea-sized openings you were expected to
see from. The glorified garbage bag printed in a Yoda robe design completed the
ensemble. Sweaty face, suffocation, smashed lips pinched by sharp plastic edges
making it nearly impossible to speak...this was the price of life in the 80s.

When Halloween finally arrived, I set out with a boy I
vaguely recall named Eli for a night of trick or treating, and this is where
the then-versus-now differences really shine. You see, Eli and I went out alone
on our quest to stuff our bags to overflowing. We were two six year-olds with
no adult supervision, and it was far from unusual. I can't recall seeing any adults
as we ran from house to house, except behind the doors, handing out candy. This
was a normal Halloween night in small-town Wisconsin.

But don't go thinking there was no irrational parental
concern. It just surfaced in a different form. When we came home, unscathed by
our unchaperoned fun, our parents would examine our loot before we were allowed
to eat anything.

No, really. And, again, this was not an isolated,
my-parents-are-kind-of-weird thing. This was Halloween Parenting 101.

NEVER accept apples!
we all were warned. Because poison might have been injected via hypodermic
needle. Apparently our parents needed to cover all the bases in case we ended up trick or treating at the Evil Queen's
castle with Snow White.

The post-trick-or treat ritual involved dumping our candy on
the kitchen/dining room/coffee table so the fun-sized goodies could be
thoroughly examined for razor blades and for needle marks on the wrappers. The
hospitals would even advertise on the radio in the days leading up to Halloween
that they would x-ray candy for free.

Makes me wonder what the next generation's
"normal" will be.

Happy Halloween!

Giveaway Details:

(1) New Kindle with touchscreen (US only) loaded with all
our Month9Books titles. US Only.